Pick, Prediction, & Preview:

Detroit Lions vs Miami Dolphins

The Detroit Lions will travel to Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida, to battle the Miami Dolphins in week seven NFL action on Sunday afternoon beginning at 1 pm EST. The Lions are coming off a bye week while the Dolphins squeaked out a close home win over the Chicago Bears in week six by a 31-28 score as Brock Osweiler forced overtime with a 75-yard touchdown pass to Albert Wilson with three minutes to go in the game while Jason Sanders sealing the win in OT with a 47-yard field goal as Miami halted a two-game losing skid. The last time these two teams met was on November 9, 2014 as the Lions pulled out the 20-16 home win over Miami as Matthew Stafford threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Theo Riddick with only :29 seconds left the seal the win.

Detroit Lions's Latest Performance :

The Lions last outing resulted in a 31-23 home win over the Green Bay Packers as they went in at the half with a 24-0 lead while being outscored 23-7 in the second half; However, a Matthew Stafford five-yard pass to Kenny Golladay to make the score 31-14 essentially put the game out of reach for Aaron Rodgers and the Packers. Rogers ended the game with 442 yards along with three touchdowns in the loss while Stafford finished with 183 yards and two touchdown tosses. Golladay had 98 yards receiving along with a TD in the win for the Lions while the rushing attack racked up 94 yards with Kerryon Johnson leading the charge with 70 yards on 12 attempts. The Lions defense also capitalized off three Packer turnovers in the game along with four sacks along with 122 penalty yards in what was an overall ugly game for Green Bay. The 14th ranked passing attack for the Lions look to feast on the 25th ranked pass secondary for Miami in this matchup while improving on their rushing game versus a defensive front that may be thin due to injury and one that allows 146 yards per game, good for 30th in the nation.

Miami Dolphins's Latest Performance :

Brock Osweiler threw for 380 yards along with three touchdowns with two picks in the Dolphins much-needed victory over the Chicago Bears last Sunday while Albert Wilson was the recipient of two of those touchdown tosses as he finished with 155 yards total on six catches. Miami also hammered the bears on the ground to the tune of 161 yards for the day with Frank Gore putting up 101 yards on 15 rushes for an offense that garnered 541 total yards compared with 467 for Chicago. The Dolphins defense collected two sacks in the game while causing three turnovers in the contest despite the Bears going two for four inside the red zone. Mitch Trubisky lit up the Dolphins secondary for 318 yards along with three touchdowns along with a pick in the contest while the 21st ranked rush defense for Miami allowed 164 yards with Jordan Howard finishing with 69 yards on 14 carries. They hope to improve this week versus a Lions team that is averaging only 97 yards on the ground per game, good for 23rd in the league. They will, however, potentially be without Jonathan Woodard and Cameron Wake at the defensive end positions as they are both day to day with concussion and knee injuries. On the other hand, starting QB Ryan Tannehill is still day to day with a shoulder injury and is uncertain to play in this matchup.

How Detroit Lions & Miami Dolphins Matchup.

Vegas Odds, Offshore Odds, & Odds ATS:

Detroit is 4-1 ATS while the OU is 4-1

Miami is 4-2 ATS while the OU is 3-3

In-Depth Analysis of each team:

The Lions will come into this game well rested and looking for a win, however, the Dolphins are undefeated at home this year and look to build from their last win in which to atone for a mini slide during their prior road trip. The Lions are winless on the road this season at 0-2 yet only losing by a total of five points in those defeats. In all, this will be an interesting battle amongst two teams that are both possessing momentum at his point of the season as the Dolphins look to hold serve at home while the Lions seek to pick up their first road win of the season.

Against The Spread Selection: Pick: Detroit Lions (off)

My reason for the pick :

I will give the edge to the Lions in this matchup in that their offense has performed well this season in ranking in the top 15 in the league in passing yards per game (268) along with points per game (25). Despite Osweiler’s performance in their slim victory over the Bears last weekend, he has been shaky in his past starts, thus allowing me to feel as if Detroit will utilize their 7th ranked pass defense to neutralize the home team’s passing attack, thus allowing the rushing attack, currently averaging 106 yards per game, to put them in a position to win. Of course, this can work out well for the Dolphins with the Lions ranking 30th in the league in stopping the run, should the Dolphins choose to take full advantage of it. In all, look for the Lions to cover in this matchup as they will most certainly open as slight underdogs.

Totals Selection: Pick: Under (0ff)

My reason for the prediction :

I will back the under in this contest as it has not only been the case in their last matchup, but, with an inconsistent backup manning the offense in Tannehill’s absence for Miami, one could expect for the offense for the home team to be up and down throughout this game. Nonetheless, they will indeed put some points on the board as they should be able to exploit the Lions awful rush defense. In Detroit’s favor, they will do well in taking advantage of Miami’s lackluster defensive pass secondary, however, neither team will score enough to surpass the total for this matchup as I expect a low scoring and competitive matchup to where the defense will take the lead as both teams will ultimately be looking to extend their winning play.

Betting trends for Detroit Lions:

Detroit is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games

The total has gone OVER in 5 of Detroit’s last 6 games

The total has gone OVER in 6 of Detroit’s last 8 games on the road

Betting trends for Miami Dolphins:

Miami is 5-9-2 ATS in its last 16 games

The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Miami’s last 7 games

Falepa

A sports analyst and enthusiast, Filipa enjoys writing articles for NHL, NBA, NCAAB, and, of course, for NCAAF. In addition, he enjoys the true art of breaking down games in such as way as to locate certain trends that can impact future contests. With a willingness to research, construct, and relay information that any reader can understand, Filipa aims to provide the reader with interesting & indepth knowledge for upcoming sporting events.